A collaborative effort of international scientists resulted to the artificial creation of Element 117, dubbed as the heaviest element so far.
Prof. Christoph Dullman of GSI, HIM (Helmholtz Institute Mainz), and JGU (Johannes Gutenberg University), along with several chemists and physicists from different countries collaborated to perform an experiment in a German-based laboratory identified as GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research. The research team consists of 72 scientists and engineers from 16 institutions in international countries such as the US, UK, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, Norway, Finland, Germany, Japan, and India.
"This is an important scientific result and a compelling example of international cooperation in science, advancing superheavy element research by leveraging the special capabilities of national laboratories in Germany and the U.S.," said ORNL Director Thom Mason in a press release.
When an element goes beyond the atomic number 104, it is regarded as one of the superheavy elements. Superheavy elements are not found in nature hence they are artificially produced by using beams of nuclei that have been accelerated to shoot at the heaviest possible targeted nuclei. Furthermore, a superheavy element can be produced when a rare fusion of two nuclei occurs. Elements with extremely long-lived nuclei can be found in the so-called ‘island of stability’ although some of those that are currently accessible have a short time of existence.
The initial discovery of the superheavy element with atomic number 117 had been released in 2010 as a result of a collaboration between the US and Russia which had both worked at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Reasearch located in Dubna, Russia.
“The successful experiments on element 117 are an important step on the path to the production and detection of elements situated on the ‘island of stability’ of superheavy elements," added Prof. Horst Stocker, GSI Scientific Director.
The findings are yet to be reviewed, and further experiments may be needed in order to acknowledge and accept the element’s discovery. When this happens, the new element 117 can have a name based on the proposals of its creators.
